You have to laugh to keep from crying learning about the hard conversations rising artist Brandon Stansell endured during his time as a closeted gay man.

It’s a pain that many who keep that massive secret to themselves know well. From the age of six when he first knew he was gay to the time of his coming out at age 22, Stansell often listened to loved ones who didn’t accept members of the LGBTQ community trash talk everything about their private lives.